Assembly split on human rights charter issue<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The campaign to establish a human rights charter
\nas a powerful decree of the People Consultative's Assembly (MPR)
\nfaced further obstacles yesterday when the Armed Forces (ABRI)
\nfaction followed Golkar's rejection of the notion.<\/p>\n
The uphill campaign for deliberation of the charter now rests
\non the minority United Development Party (PPP), which stated
\nyesterday that it would fight in favor of the charter.<\/p>\n
The other tiny faction, the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI),
\nhad already showed reluctance to comment on the issue. It only
\nsaid yesterday that the party's central board of executives would
\ndiscuss the charter next week.<\/p>\n
The draft of the human rights charter was proposed recently by
\nthe National Defense and Security Council. The council suggested
\non Tuesday that the People's Consultative Assembly deliberate on
\nan Indonesian bill of human rights and adopt it as one of its
\ndecrees.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto chairs the council whose members include
\nsenior military officers and experts from various disciplines.<\/p>\n
Senior legislator from the Armed Forces faction Maj. Gen. Hari
\nSabarno said the faction did not consider such a decree necessary
\nbecause the State Policy Guidelines had already incorporated
\nhuman rights principles.<\/p>\n
\"We'd rather stress a consistent application of human rights
\nprinciples, instead of adopting a specific decree on them. I
\nbelieve that our state ideology Pancasila or some laws contain
\nthe principles already,\" Hari said.<\/p>\n
Hari chairs the ABRI faction at the House of Representatives
\nand is on the Assembly's working committee, whose job is to
\nprepare a draft of decrees to be endorsed when the Assembly
\nresumes its general session in March next year.<\/p>\n
Hari said the ABRI faction appreciated the council's proposal,
\nbut it could not treat it as more than just advice.<\/p>\n
\"The council is not an Assembly faction, and so far there has
\nbeen no faction which formally asked for deliberation on the
\nhuman rights charter,\" Hari said.<\/p>\n
Secretary of Golkar faction at the Assembly, Ary Mardjono,
\nreiterated yesterday the party's policy not to include the issue
\nof a human rights charter in the agenda of the MPR working
\ncommittee.<\/p>\n
PPP, however, took a different position yesterday. Legislator
\nUsamah Hisyam said his faction would fight it out for the
\ndeliberation and adoption of the human rights bill as a decree of
\nthe MPR.<\/p>\n
\"We'll go on with our earlier commitment to include the
\ndeliberation on the human rights charter in future sessions of
\nthe Assembly's working committee,\" Usamah said.<\/p>\n
He said although principles on human rights protection were
\nalready included in the state ideology and the 1945 Constitution,
\nit would be more effective if they were stipulated in a decree.<\/p>\n
An Assembly ruling has higher status than laws and other
\nregulations according to Indonesia's legal hierarchy.<\/p>\n
Usamah said PPP legislators were now lobbying their
\ncounterparts from ABRI and PDI to change their minds and bring
\nthe deliberation to the floor.<\/p>\n
At the same time, he called on the people's moral and physical
\nsupport for the charter.<\/p>\n
Separately, PDI secretary-general Buttu Hutapea said the party
\nwas studying the bill of rights draft. \"We will announce our
\nstance after a leadership meeting next Friday,\" said Buttu, who
\nchairs the party's tiny faction at the Assembly. (imn\/amd)<\/p>",
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